


The Shapes We Wear

by KittsFics



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Animal Shifters, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Shape Shifters, Shifter AU, batfam being family, except not in this au, its just soft okay, metaphorically and literally, no beta we die like jason
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:43:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25882288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KittsFics/pseuds/KittsFics
Summary: Bruce comes out of the kitchen to find most of his kids in front of the main door. Damian is sitting about halfway up the stairs looking unamused, fingers slowly running through Alfred the cat’s fur, while Tim and Titus are curled up on the marble floor together a couple of metres away, the small blue-grey shape almost hidden between Titus’ front paws. They’re both watching Dick and Jason who appear to be arguing, Jason dancing away whenever Dick gets too close.
Relationships: Bruce Wayne & His Kids, Lian Harper & Jason Todd, Roy Harper/Jason Todd, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Alfred Pennyworth & Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne
Comments: 14
Kudos: 304





	1. Chauffeur

**Author's Note:**

  * For [acidulication](https://archiveofourown.org/users/acidulication/gifts).



> I saw [ acidulication‘s ](https://acidulication.tumblr.com) amazing art / au for Shifter Batfam ([ here ](https://acidulication.tumblr.com/post/625460388421582849/batfam-au-where-all-the-kids-except-damian-can)) on tumblr and I had a sudden burst of inspiration.  
> \- Each chapter stands alone, and although marked as complete I may come back to this! -
> 
> Dick - Black Panther  
> Jason - Hyena  
> Tim - Blue-Grey Cat  
> Cass - Bat  
> Steph - Coyote  
> Duke - Komodo Dragon

Bruce comes out of the kitchen to find most of his kids in front of the main door. Damian is sitting about halfway up the stairs looking unamused, fingers slowly running through Alfred the cat’s fur, while Tim and Titus are curled up on the marble floor together a couple of metres away, the small blue-grey shape almost hidden between Titus’ front paws. They’re both watching Dick and Jason who appear to be arguing, Jason dancing away whenever Dick gets too close. Bruce assumes the others are still upstairs sleeping off last night’s patrol.

“Is everything okay?”

Dick jumps, turning to face him with a small smile, and Jason takes the opportunity to try to escape out into the garage but pauses when he catches Bruce’s raised eyebrow. He sighs and runs a hand through his curly hair, shifting slightly from foot to foot, but neither of them explain. 

“It’s nothing B.” He raises an eyebrow at his eldest who wraps and arms round his waist, looking down at his feet. Before he can push the matter however, Jason darts forward, tugging Dick into a one armed hug, other curled protectively against his chest, before he disappears through the door. Dick immediately breaks out into a wide grin, and bounces forwards to smash against Bruce’s chest, and Bruce instinctively hugs him back, tucking him under his chin. He’d run into Ivy the previous night and had spent the day quarantined in the cave instead of in the cuddle puddle with the others, so he’d been snuggling everyone in reach for the last hour. “I just wanted a hug before Jay left, didn’t know if he’d be back before I left for Blud.”

Bruce smiles into his hair then presses a kiss to it before stepping away and watches as Dick twists to focus on his youngest brother, who freezes as he realises that he’s about to be next. “Den, everyone.” He waits a second for Damian to rise before crouching down and waiting for Tim’s soft meow before scooping him up and setting him around Damian’s shoulders like a scarf. It’s a position that they were both surprisingly partial to, and it wasn’t unusual for Damian to wander round with a furry accessory if Tim wasn’t working.

Instead of following them he heads for the garage, it’s rare nowadays that Jason doesn’t allow physical affection, usually only after a bad night and he just wants to check up on him, especially as he was possibly favouring his right side. The lights are bright, glinting off multicoloured bodywork, and squinting he finds Jason by the Maserati rather than his bike, and he pauses a few feet away. 

“You okay Jaylad?” He turns with a mischievous grin and raises a finger to his lips, before opening his jacket, revealing a small back shape hanging from the lining. Cass shifts slightly, opening one eye and yawning, fluttering her wings slightly at him but settling as Jason lets the fabric fall back against his chest. 

“Apparently I’m a chauffeur for the day.”

“Good luck.” 

Jason rolls his eyes but lets Bruce pull him into a loose side hug, careful not to jostle Cass, before he slides into the front seat, leaving Bruce to wander back to join the others in the Den.


	2. How Jason and Roy Found Out Their Daughter is a Cat

Jason, contrary to what his brothers might think, likes peace and quiet. He likes being in the study, sprawled on the sofa with a book while Bruce does his Wayne Industries paperwork. Or under the table in Roy's workshop while he tinkers and mutters to himself. Or settled beside Tim on one of their beds in either shape while his brother does school stuff or works on his minecraft world. Or next to Alfred in the kitchen, sometimes with quiet conversation and sometimes just the sound of chopping vegetables and boiling pans. 

But most of all he loves nights with Lian, if Roy's out with his friends or on patrol, then the two of them will curl up in front of the TV in their animal shapes. A tiny serval cat warm against his side, the volume down low because they can hear it anyway, her purrs surprisingly loud for such a small animal. 

He'd been there the first time she'd shifted, she'd been standing on a chair at the kitchen counter, attempting to help him cook, then there'd been a yell and a much quieter thump than a five year old colliding with vinyl floor should. He'd turned to find the tiniest spotted kitten with oversized ears staring at her paws in shock, and collapsed laughing. He'd taken a handful of pictures before gently coaching her through changing back again, but forgets to send them as she buries her face in his chest, shaking and exhausted.

\--

Roy isn't surprised when his dinner is cut short on Justice League business, or honestly very upset either. He'd take an evening at home with his partner and daughter over a stilted meal with Oliver any day, even Dinah can't save them. So he takes the leftovers as takeaway without any complaint and heads back to their flat.

The main lights are off when he gets in, just one lamp casting a warm glow, and the TV is too quiet for him to hear properly. He sets the food down on the breakfast bar and rounds the sofa to find Jason curled up into a ball, snuffling softly. Roy hadn't known hyenas could snore until Jason started staying over more. It's not until he runs a hand through his thick fur that he realises there's someone else, tucked against Jason's belly in the nest of limbs. 

"Oh, hey Pumpkin." She lifts her head and uncurls a little at his voice, revealing a small spotted cat. He'd noted familiar behaviours from Dick, Tim and Jade and wondered if she was a feline shifter, but neither she nor Jason had mentioned it. Gently prodding one of the larger paws aside he scooped her up, tucking her into his chest. "Bedtime for kittens." She leans up to bat at his nose but doesn't complain as he heads through to her room, pausing at the bedside as he considers how to tuck in a cat. With a wide yawn she solves the problem by shifting back, suddenly growing heavier in his arms as she grabs for her plush elephant. 

"Night Daddy." He drops her to the bed and gets a happy giggle as she burrows into the duvet before calling, "Night JayJay." 

"Sleep well, Sweetheart." Jason's sleep roughened voice carries echoes of Alfred's as Roy presses a kiss to Lian's forehead and heads back into the main room, pushing the door shut behind him.

Jason's sprawled out on the sofa, stretching his whole body, as Roy puts the food in the fridge and snags a slice of cold pizza. He then more or less just drops half onto his partner, gaining nothing more than a soft 'oof', and wiggles until he gets comfortable, Jason's arms wrapping round his waist. 

"So a cat."

"Serval, yeah. You didn't know?" 

He shakes his head slowly, dropping a kiss to his partner's shoulder and playing with one of the rings on his hand. "How long?" 

"A couple of months, I'd assumed she'd told you. Sorry. Tim's given her a quick rundown."

"It's fine." He yawns, and feels an amused exhale against his hair before the blanket from the back of the sofa is pulled over them, and the remote is pressed into his hand. 

"How many hours did you sleep last night?" 

"Enough, Ollie's just exhausting." 

He feels more than hears Jason's hum, and fingers start running through his hair, gently tugging out the hairband and he relaxes at the familiar sensation. 

"Sleep, Love."

He does.


	3. Father, Grandfather

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Or everyone knows you can't move if a cat falls asleep on you.

Bruce groans, stretching out on the sofa then sits up with a half suppressed yawn, glancing over at the clock on the mantelpiece. He's got just over half an hour before he needs to start getting suited up for the night and his kids' laughter echoes down the corridor from the kitchen. He almost drifts off again listening to them, it's been a long few days, even though he got through without any major injuries.

Just when he's finally about to get to his feet, there's a sudden loud meow from the doorway and the sounds from the kitchen cut off. Tim pads over with another meow and jumps up into his lap, front paws on his chest, so he can headbutt Bruce's cheek. "Hey you." He runs his knuckles down his spine and presses a kiss between his ears while Tim purrs. 

Then his ears twitch and he half turns towards the door before jumping onto the back of the sofa. Bruce twists to follow, frowning, but there's a black blur at the corner of his vision and a heavy impact on his chest knocks him flat on his back. Before he can get his breath back, Dick has flopped and he knows from experience that he's practically immovable at this point. 

Bruce closes his eyes, taking as deep a breath as he can with the weight on his chest, slowly resigning himself to his fate. There's a gentle pat to his forehead and he opens his eyes to see Tim now perched on the arm of the sofa, reaching down with a paw and a satisfied expression.

There's a clack of claws on the wooden floor and Jason wanders in with a yawn, snorting at Bruce's beseeching look. He tilts his head, regarding the whole scene with a rough laugh, and jumps up onto Bruce's legs and settles with his head pillowed on Dicks back. His brother just huffs, and Tim picks his way down their bodies until he can curl up in the thick fur between Jason's shoulder blades. 

That's how Alfred finds them a few minutes later, all the boys dosing and Bruce unable to move under their combined weight. He stops in the doorway to take a photo before going to the window to close the curtains, ignoring Bruce's whispered calls for help. 

"I'm sure between Misses Kate and Barbara, and the Birds of Prey, Gotham can spare Batman for another night. Especially as he has been away for nearly two weeks already, sir."

Bruce couldn't believe he ever thought he was in charge.

\--

After working at his desk for nearly seven hours Bruce had moved to the sofa in the study, laptop balanced on the arm, in order to see if any new perspectives on his funding paperwork would appear. But what appears instead is a tiny spotted cat, a serval kitten he thinks, carefully picking their way along one of the bookshelves with Tim a couple of feet behind. They both meow a greeting and Tim jumps over to the back of the sofa, rubbing his face against Bruce's cheek in greeting. 

The kitten shifts uncertainly, eyeing up the jump before more or less just throwing themselves towards them with a surprisingly loud warcry. They slam into the sofa, front claws catching on the top and Tim darts over to grab them by the scruff of their neck to drag them up. Bruce reaches over to help, scooping them up and placing them on his thigh, running his knuckles gently down their shivering spine, making quiet soothing sounds. 

Tim drops down to join them, curling up around and starting to groom them while Bruce returns to his work. He types one handed, the other running over soft fur as they both relax, going boneless in his lap and purring like small engines. The kitten falls asleep fairly quickly and Tim carefully disentangles himself so he can look at the laptop, prodding the screen or even slowly typing things when he has to, Bruce occasionally pressing absent kisses to the top of his head. 

They work for nearly an hour before Jason pushes the study door open, hair still damp from a shower and plush elephant in one hand. Bruce has an overdue epiphany as Lian shoots out of his lap, throwing herself at Jason and shifting halfway, letting him balance her on his hip, and cuddling the elephant with a yawn.

"She been okay?"

"Barely even noticed she was here, everything okay upstairs?"

Jason nods with a grin, coming close enough for Tim to jump up onto his shoulder, then settle half in the hood of his jacket. "Did you know that komodo dragons can sneeze, because I sure didn't. I mean it could just be Duke I guess? But I put the video in the group chat either way." He looks down at Lian with a soft smile. "Say bye to B, Sweetheart."

"Bye bye, Grandpa." Bruce freezes, heart suddenly melted in his chest as he looks at her, curled up in his son's arms, and waving her plush at him.

"See you little one." His voice comes out a little more choked up than he expected and Jason gives him a knowing look before heading for the door. 

"Bye B, I gotta get this one's immunocompromised ass to a safe distance, and stop Roy burning the flat down in the name of cooking." An indignant meow from Tim, and Jason's laughter follow them down the hall and Bruce has to wipe his suddenly damp eyes. 

He has to wipe them again a few seconds later when Lian's happy, "Grander-pa!" floats through the manor, followed by Alfred's calm voice as he bids the group goodbye.

**Author's Note:**

> Come chat to me on my tumblr (also [ kittsfics ](https://kittsfics.tumblr.com/))!


End file.
